In mys school, staff are currently (approximate figures)
35% in the school building looking after the children of key workers. We've split our children into small groups of 6 You'd be surprised how many staff it takes to look after just a small group to make sure that they effectively distance from each other, that the tables and chairs are disinfected after each lesson, that children are occupied with interesting things that don't involve any contact or touching something that some one else had touched- no football/other team games, no shared model building etc. Whilst at the same time ensuring the children are having fun and not too frightened/unnerved by the very strange situation they now find themselves in
We're working a shift system so that we can continue to offer before/after school club for those key workers who might have previously relied upon grandparents to do that role. We've also ensure high staff:pupil ratios so that if staff go off sick, we can still open to key workers.
35% are off on "holiday" this week- we're intending to open over Easter - including Good Friday and Easter Monday- to ensure that our health worker staff can still get to work. We know that many of them will have been relying upon grandparents to look after children in the holidays, so we will be there for them instead. If staff are going to cover over the holiday- then they need a break now
15% either sick or self-isolating due to family members with symptoms
15% at home due underlying medical conditions- they are the ones keeping home learning going. They are liaising with the staff in school to upload tasks to be completed at home onto our school website.
Remember, the national curriculum has been suspended for a reason.
If we are to fulfill our current primary role of caring for the children of key workers, and keep ourselves well enough to continue doing this for a sustained period, there isn't the capacity to do any video-link teaching. Some days, there isn't even the capacity to up date the website! And things are only going to get more challenging
As an aside, as I've been typing this reply- in my lunch break- a staff member who has been in at 7:00 am each day to do Breakfast club has just left the building for their week of "holiday". As they left, they called by my office to say that I mustn't forget that if I needed them next week, they'd come in. That's what workers in state schools are doing! 